Frank Reichman, age 15, of Quincy, Ill., for his question:
WHEN DID ROCK MUSIC START?
Today rock music is the favorite type of popular music in many parts of the world. It can be traced back to the early 1950s when it was called rock and roll.
Both the terms rock and rock and roll can be traced to the lyrics of a popular blues song of the early 1950s called "There's Good Rockin' Tonight."
What we know as the rock sound comes primarily from blues and gospel music. Many experts say that Chuck Berry, a black composer and blues singer, is the single most important influence on rock music.
Country and western music, as well as folk music, also helped to create the rock sound.
Rock music has a strong rhythm and uses the electric guitar as the dominant instrument. Many members of the older generation say that the music is sometimes superficially monotonous in rhythm.
The electric guitar is able to produce a remarkable range of sounds at almost any degree of loudness. The intense loudness of much rock music is another of its most distinctive features.
Rock groups generally use one or more electric guitars, an electric bass, drums and sometimes such traditional instruments as saxophones, trumpets and piano.
Many groups offer a much broader range of musical effects than can be produced in live performances. Thanks to recording engineers, the musicians are often able to achieve special effects with a variety of electronic sound equipment.
All of the experts give Elvis Presley credit for having been the first important rock soloist. As a young country and western singer, he recorded a series of hit rock songs in 1955 and 1956. It started with "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Hound Dog."
Radio played an important part in spreading rock music during the mid 1950s. Many stations turned to playing rock music exclusively.
Rock music became the greatest commercial success in the history of modern music. Since the late 1950s, it has almost completely dominated the rankings of best selling records in the United States, Canada and Western Europe.
During the 1960s, the Beatles helped reshape rock with their witty, sophisticated lyrics and many experiments in musical styles. The English rock quartet turned out to be the most popular group in music history.
Rock music symbolizes a distinct way of life for many people. They identify the music with the rejection of many traditional values.
Many rock critics consider the music the leading form of communication among young people today.